Quote:
Originally Posted by DiapDealer
I already give my library money. My idea was to pry some from other people who may not. 
I wouldn't think "returning a book" would be overly taxing. It's not like you have to get dressed, put gas in the car and drive to your local branch and put it in the book drop.  |
No, instead I have to go home, boot up my computer, open ADE, and return the book.
I'm not trying to sound snarky, so I hope I convey a polite tone here, but that is too much darn trouble for me when I already have a million things to do when I get home. I work outside the home and while I *am* am able to browse the internet and goof off online and read books on my ereader while I'm out and about, I am *not* able to return ebooks while out and about, so that would be one more thing on my list of "stuff I must do when I get home" list. And that's a really long list, and a very short time period for me.
Even if you could eventually return items via your phone, what really is the point of this proposal? You say you want to charge fees for letting the book expire with the assumption in place that people who let the book expire didn't need all that extra time and just "forgot" to return it. If I can "prove" that I read the book right up until 11:59 pm, then do I not have to pay the "forgot to return it before midnight" fee?
And for what reason? It wouldn't be an effective way of getting money for the library - people like you would just return the books in advance (as you apparently are already doing) and people like me would stop using the library (and stop donating to it) because it's a stupid artificially-induced hassle. People who don't have or want ADE on their computers would be effectively charged a fee every time they wanted to check out a library book. (And most libraries don't have ADE or support loading on their public machines.) The
only thing your plan would get you is smaller wait times, but it would be because fewer people are using the system, which is always great for funding pitches.
There's this strange notion floating around that new formats should inherit the flaws of the old system. HarperCollins wants ebooks to "wear out" so that libraries will have to buy more. You would (jestingly) like ebooks to have to be "returned" in order to reduce hold times and drum up artificial fees. Making the system artificially complex for short term gain will only hurt it in the long run.
You want more money for the libraries? Encourage donations. Extra fees and artificial hoops will just discourage patrons.